Charting the Course of Psalms Research

Erhard Gerstenberger has been a decisive figure in Psalms study in the past generation. This book provides a summary of scholarly research on the Psalms in his generation. Beyond that, this book gives full expression to Gerstenberger's singular contribution to Psalms study, namely, the articulation of a fourfold taxonomy of Psalm settings: family, village, monarchy, and the post-exile community. Through this valuable summation of his work, Gerstenberger continues to be our generative teacher. Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary Erhard Gerstenberger's lifelong pursuit to understand the rich theological traditions of ancient Israel's religious poetry can be grasped on each page of this collection of essays. With the help of Hanson's elegant translation, he takes his English-speaking readers on a tour de force of intimate prayers, ritual settings, and varied theologies of the Psalter, uncovering hidden treasures, social contexts, and expressions of faith of texts that still impact us today. Anselm C. Hagedorn, Universität Osnabrück This invaluable collection of essays is the fruit of Erhard Gerstenberger's long and distinguished career. Gerstenberger is a formidable scholar and perhaps the most ferocious advocate for a pure form-critical approach to the Psalms. His towering intellect illuminates the Psalms in their historic, ritual, and cultic settings. Rolf A. Jacobson, Luther Seminary